I am hoping to receive a offer of a home loan from Halifax. I intend to enlist the help of a Licensed Conveyancer in Coleford. Does the Halifax Solicitor panel exclude conveyancers regulated by the CLC?

The Halifax approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

My husband and I are nearing an exchange on a flat in Coleford and my parents have sent the exchange deposit to my property lawyer. I am now advised that as the deposit has not come from me my property lawyer needs to disclose this to my mortgage company. Apparently, in also acting for the mortgage company he must advise them that the balance of the purchase price is coming from anyone other than me. I disclosed to the bank regarding my parents' contribution when I applied for the mortgage, so is it really appropriate for him to raise this?

The conveyancing practitioner is obliged to check with the bank to ensure that they are aware that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own resources. The solicitor can only notify this to your lender if you permit them to, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.

We're in Coleford, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Skipton , and our solicitor is on the Skipton conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

I used Arc property Solicitors several years past for my conveyancing in Coleford. I now require my papers but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Coleford of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I'm buying my first flat in Coleford benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent suggested that I not disclose to my conveyancer about the side-deal as it could adversely affect my mortgage with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.